The benefits of being sick
March 21, 2008
Strict sanitation procedures are incredibly important in healthcare settings, and the cost of noncompliance is high. Every year approximately two million people acquire an infectious disease during hospitalization in America, and more than ninety thousand die as a result.
According to health professionals within the Center for Disease Control, the majority of clinic-acquired infections can be avoided if health professionals followed existing hygiene standards. Even the introduction of antibacterial hand gels in the hospital can cut the rate of disease transmission dramatically.
Outside of the hospital, however, scientists aren’t as quick to promote obsessive cleanliness. According to new research pioneered by the Medical College of Wisconsin, increased public hygiene may in fact be making us sicker.
Studies indicate that increasing rates of asthma, multiple sclerosis, and intestinal disorders are linked to decreases in our exposure to pathogens. Children who do not experience much exposure to transmittable disease are found to have a higher rate of allergies and asthma as they grow older.
Like a muscle, researchers say that the immune system needs to be stimulated in order to function well. And with the proliferation of antibacterial soaps, strict food control policies, and overprotective parents, the American immune system is atrophying.
Without exposure to infectious diseases, the immune system can become weak and unprepared to deal with more serious health issues. Even worse, it may malfunction and cause autoimmune diseases.
Some of the microorganisms we avoid would actually have a positive effect on our health. In Africa and South America, where hygiene standards are essentially nonexistent, the presence of intestinal bacteria and parasitic worms protect against diseases that are common in Western countries. The immune system function of these individuals make disorders like Crohn’s disease and asthma unheard of within their population.
Of course, basic sanitation practices are still important in our country. Sewage systems and water treatment plants may decrease the stimulus our immune system receives, but the benefits surely outweigh the risks. So what is the solution? What balance of avoidance and exposure promotes the healthiest lifestyle?
There is no universal answer. The best policy may be to ditch your arsenal of antibacterial soaps and just trust the efficacy of your own immune system. But whatever you do, you shouldn’t force a low standard of hygiene on other people. So if you have the flu and chose to come to class and sit behind me, I still want you to cover your mouth when you cough. Thanks.
References
Medical College of Wisconsin Hygiene Research:
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002421.html
Asthma and hygiene:
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144528
Allergies and hygiene:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10777250&dopt=Abstract
